Signal or controlling device



April 15, 1941.

F. w. JACKSON Erm.

SIGNAL OR CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed July 27, 1939 Patented pr. 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIGNAL OR CONTROL-LIN G DEVICE Frank W. Jackson and Harry M. Nacey,

Chicago, Ill.

Application July 27, 1939, Serial No. 286,781

2 Claims. (Cl. 20G- 81) Our invention relates to apparatus particularly designed to be used in connection Witha container, tank, boiler, conduit or the like for indieating a condition within the same either level or owage, or to so control other apparatus as to vary or change or maintain the conditions within the container to a desired extent. Primarily the device is intended to control, i. e. open or close, an electric circuit or plurality of circuits, thereby giving an indication either visible or audible, set olf an alarm, or start or stop electrically driven or controlled apparatus, or any and all of them separately, successively or simultaneously.

The invention has among its objects the production of a device of the kind described that is simple, compact, inexpensive, efficient, durable, readily installed and thoroughly dependable.

The invention has particularly as an object the production of an eiiicient and reliable device of the kind described adapted for use on containers or conduits for fluids, whether liquids or gases or other materials capable of movement or variation, for indicating conditions Within the container or conduit or for controlling suitab-le apparatus to maintain or vary the conditions in the container, conduit or its equivalent in a predetermined or desired manner.

It has as a further object the production of a device which does not require stufling boxes and packing glands regardless of the nature of the material contained or conveyed, and which employs a minimum number of parts which Will not readily become inoperative or get out of order.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein set forth will be obvious to those skilled in the art, as will also the numerous possible applications and uses of the device.

To this end our invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts:

Fig. l is a sectional view through one embodiment of our device showing its application to a tank or conduit;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, I represents a container such as a conduit, a tank, boiler or the able material,

like of the desired size, shape and material for containing lluid such as a liquid or gas or material that may be flowed through or displaced in a container. Associated with the container I is a housing consisting of the body part 2, which is shown provided With a closure 3 which may be secured in any suitable manner, as for example by the studs shown, packing ordinarily being positioned between the cover and the flange of the housing. The housing is shown provided with a nipple or tubular portion 4 which is arranged to threadedly or otherwise engage with the flange 'I or its equivalent secured to the wall of the container I at the opening 8. The housing forms the chamber 5 which communi-I cates With the interior of the container I' through the tubular bore or passage 6 in portion 4 of the housing and opening 8.

Arranged Within the housing is a tube :l which is shown secured to the cover 3 at I and is open at the end, as indicated at Il, to the exterior of the housing. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the tube 9 is bent back upon itself or U-shaped as indicated at I2, With .the free or opposite end I3 brought adjacent the passage and sealed by the plug I4 or in an equivalent manner. The tube, which may be of any suitpreferably a material having some resiliency, is thus seen to be anchored at one end, which end is open to the exterior of the housing, With the other end which is: closed substantially free to move Within the housing. The material used will b e such as to resist corrosion.

Arranged Within the tube is a rod I5 having one end secured to the plug I4 and extending therefrom through the tube and bent at I5 and thence extending as at I6 out through the opening II. This rod IS-IS is preferably of flexible spring material. The tube and rod as an assembly m'ay be bent up from straight pieces of stock in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art oi' bending tubes, or the tube may be formed With a separable end Il adjacent the bend I2 which may be positioned and secured and sealed after the rod has been positioned. Any equivalent construction may be employed.

In Fig. l we have shown an impeller, paddle or vane I8 arranged Within the container I, such device being adapted .to be moved or controlled by fluid passing through or moving in the container. In some instances this impeller will be a iioat, as for example as illustrated in the ernbodiment shown in Fig. 4, or -any other means satisfactory for the purpose. The impeller I8 is shown secured to a link or arm I9 pivotally secured to the housing by a pin passing through the end of the link and through lugs l on the interior of the passage in the part Also arranged within` the passage Ii is a link 2E which is pivotally secured at 22 with the arm I?) and at 23 to the plug I4 at the end I3 of the tube. When the impeiler I8 is moved up or down in the container its movement is transmitted through arm IS and link 2l to the tube, and moving the end of the tube I3 in one direction or the other rnovesk the looped end I2 likewise, as well as the contained rod Iii-IE. As for example, pulling the end of the tube toward the container, as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, tends to move the upper end of the rod in the same direction, as is indicated in dotted lines.

The movement of the upper end of fthe rod I6 at the exterior of the housing may be utilized in giving a visible signal, as for example by causing it to move as an indicator in itself or to close or open an electric circuit, as the case may be. As shown in Fig. 1, it is adapted @to close the circuit when moved as indicated in the dotted lines, or

to break it when moved in the opposite direction. i.

As shown, a contact 24 is arranged on the head 23 rat the end of the rod, arranged to cooperate with the contact 25 mounted on the head 25, illustrated as carried from the bracket lll on the cover 3. nected by electrical conductors 28 to a suitable piece of electrical apparatus 29, such as an electric light, a bell or an electric moto-r or the like which may in turn control a pump, valve or any other piece of apparatus, 3Q representing a battery or other source of electrical energy. It will thus be seen that movement of the member It will make or break contact between the contacts 2d and 2e. While only two contacts are shown, ift will be perfectly obvious to those skilled in the art that there may be any number or pairs of contacts so as to control more than one circuit, and that if contacts (not shown) are arranged -at the opposite side of the head 23, movement of the head E3 to the left may be utilized to close the circuit similar to movement to the right closing the circuit -as illustrated in Fig. 1. The device described is very compact, the bend in the tube and rod gives greater movement than a short single tube, causing considerable movement i of the head 23.

In some instances it may be preferred to use a straight tube `and rod rather than the loop or U-shaped tube and rod. Such embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the operation of the device is the same as that shown in Fig. l. Referring to Fig. Ll, 32 represents a housing provided with a closure 33 and with the elbow 3l! connected with the flange 3l arranged on the tank or conduit 3i. The housingis chambered as indicated at 35 and communicates with the tank 3| through the passage 36 and opening 3B in the tank or receptacle. Arranged within the housing and carried by the closure 33 to which it is secured at 49, is a tube 39 which is also open at the xed end as shown at 4I. The opposite end of the tube, that is the free end 43, is closed by the plug or closure 44 which tightly seals the same. Arranged within the tube is the rod 45 having its one end secured in the plug 44 and its opposite end #l5 projecting from the housing and providing an actuator for one of the electrical contacts, as shown.

We have illustrated in Fig. 4 a iicat t8 which -is The contacts 24 and 25 are shown conlfl connected by rod 4l with an arm 49 pivotally secured at 53 to the lugs 35 on the interior of the elbow 34. The arm 49 is pivotally secured to a link 5I at points 52 and 53. As the float is raised or lowered, it actuates the lower end of the tube and rod through the connecting mechanism described, moving the upper end 46 of lthe rod, making or breaking the circuit, as the case may be, or otherwise giving an indication that the float has been moved.

Obviously, in the case of a conduit for indicating or controlling the flow, an impeller I8 or Vsome similar device as an equivalent for I5 may be employed, while in a tank or receptacle, boiler or the like for indicating or controlling the level of the contents, a float 48 or some equivalent would be employed. In other words, the particular device for actuating or controlling the link or arm I9 or farm 49 would depend upon the use of the device.

The device described has practically innumerable applications, either for indicating purposes, for automatically controlling devices, or for determining or maintaining or varying the condition of any fluid or other material within a container regardless of whether the same be a conduit, tank, boiler or the equivalent.

Having thus described our invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of our invention; hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a container, a housing attached thereto and communicating therewith, a U-shaped exib-le tube positioned in said housing, said tube having one end secured to the housing and communicating with the exterior thereof, and closed at the other end, means flexibly connected with the latter end positioned in said container land ractuable by predetermined conditions therein to move the closed end of said tube relative the opposite end thereof, a U-shaped rod positioned in said tube, one end of said rod positioned adjacent the closed end of said tube and secured thereto, the opposite end extending exteriorly the housing, and. further means positioned exteriorly the housing responsive to movement of the exterior end 0f said rod as said tube is ilexed for producing a desired result.

2. In .a device of the kind described, the combination of a container, a housing vattached thereto and communicating therewith, a U-shaped flexible tube positioned in said housing, said tube having one end secured to the housing and communicating with the exterior thereof, and closed at the other end, means flexibly connected with the latter end positioned in said container and actuable by predetermined conditions therein to move the closed end of said tube relative the opposite end thereof, a U-shaped rod positioned in said tube, one end -of said rod positioned adjacent the closed end of said tube and secured thereto, the opposite end extending ex- `terio-rly the housing, rand a circuit breaker operatively connected to said rod `and actuated thereby.

FRANK W. JACKSON.

HARRY M NACEY. 

